Thing From The Lake
by fallbackandshutup
Summary: Rachel just grinned and nodded, before handing Quinn a mini can of bug spray. "In case an arachnid crawls on your face or someone else's."


-0-

"Don't move." Santana said and Brittany froze.

Kurt blanched next to her. "What is _that_?" He stared at the blonde girl's face with little containment and opposite him Quinn stepped backwards.

They were at the lake – well _a _lake. Quinn wasn't entirely sure she'd ever seen the small cove before, even though it was just an hour's drive from her house. Puck had gathered the Glee club and basically forced them to spend the day wallowing in mud and the water.

Well, okay, maybe not _forced _but Quinn certainly wasn't one hundred percent on the idea.

And considering what was on Brittany's forehead, she was _never _going in the lake _ever_!

Brittany paled considerably and her eyes darted from Santana to Kurt, then finally to Quinn.

"What is it?" She said lowly, and Quinn grimaced because the lanky, black and _frighteningly_ large insect on her head was like nothing she'd ever seen before.

She had already dubbed it weird-creature-I'll-have-nightmares-about-until-I'm-dead. No one said anything so she fumbled out a reply.

"It's…_something_." She muttered and Brittany frowned, her wet hair stuck to her neck.

"Get. It. Off." She said lowly and stepped towards Santana, the Latina near fell over in her haste to move backwards and Quinn sidestepped manically, she even waved her hands a little.

"I said don't move, Britt." Santana yelped and the blonde stopped dead still.

She furrowed her eyebrows and Quinn thought the insect would fall with the movement, it didn't.

"Is it an ant?" Brittany asked, Kurt swallowed and the hollow of his neck twitched.

"It's certainly _not _an ant," He mused. He too was standing a safe distance from the insect covered girl. Quinn had the dreaded sensation that it might jump and warily she prepared herself, she'd use Santana as a shield.

"Dude, was the hell is on your face?" Quinn looked rapidly to Puck who walked over from a small eating area, Rachel and Tina followed as well. Tina was holding a towel. "It's massive, that a spider?" He asked Brittany, craning his neck and tilting his head to look at it.

Brittany blanched, much like Kurt had. "San…" She whispered and Santana jutted her jaw out. Possessively moving closer to the blonde, not close enough so that the insect could reach her or anything. But her movement wasn't subtle.

"Spiders don't swim in the water, it's not one, you were in the water – they don't swim in the water, Britt." She explained calmly.

"Actually, there are species that have adapted –"

"Shut it, Berry!" Santana snapped and Quinn looked to Rachel, Rachel looked to Santana, Santana stared at the _not- _a-spider insect on Brittany's head, and Tina gasped as though she'd just seen it now.

"Just swipe it off," Puck said after a moment, Brittany looked to him.

"Fear has captured my body and I can't move." She said expressionless.

It had captured Quinn's too, however she was positive if the _thing – _and she didn't mean Rachel – stirred, or even twitched a leg, she'd be half way home and screaming murder at anything that moved.

She glanced to Puck who despite his laid back words looked rather uncomfortable. He was staring at the insect like one would stare at an unfinished puzzle. Tina and Rachel hadn't moved any closer, and seemed to be debating whether or not they should casually walk away.

Quinn wouldn't have let them. She wasn't going to be stuck with the creature.

"Why don't you shake your head, Britt?" Kurt said with a nervous smile, "See if it will just fall off, it'll just drop off." He waved his hands loosely then smiled again and swallowed thickly, Quinn thinned her lips.

"She does that and we'll be wearing it." She hissed, like actually _hissed_, she sounded like a serpent and it didn't go unnoticed. Rachel and Tina had raised their eyebrows and Santana was staring incredulously at her, Kurt looked a little scared.

"She's right," Puck said and Quinn nodded, he pointed to the still frozen Brittany. "Smash it with a rock or something." Quinn stopped nodding abruptly.

Santana's hand rose in front of her, "It's on her head Mohawk, we go loco on that thing with a rock and it'll concuss Britt's." She glared at a shrugging Puck, and then crossed her arms. "Let's just wait till it moves." She shrugged idly and looked over at Brittany, attempting a reassuring grin.

Tina shifted near Quinn, "What if it never moves?" She said worriedly, "What if it is pregnant and is about to lay eggs?" She explained with seriousness, Quinn frowned and Rachel stepped in front of her to speak.

"I think that's hardly the case, Tina. What we should do is wash it away with some H2O." She smiled and gestured throwing a bucket of water before looking serious, "It's the simplest idea, and logically the best."

Quinn huffed, "How so?" She deadpanned and Rachel blankly stared at her. She was surprisingly taken off guard by the shorter girl's glower and ended up looking swiftly to her feet.

Her sneakers were dirty.

"I still think you should just shake it off," Kurt chimed and Quinn scowled his way.

"I've got a rock!" Puck exclaimed loudly, his hands cradling a muddy stone, Santana's hand was outstretched again.

"Drop it, or else I'll ends you!" The rock thudded to the ground a moment later and Puck shrugged off the Latina's death stare.

"I still don't want to move." Brittany said, Santana smiled carefully her way, Kurt swallowed audibly and Rachel for some reason made jazz hands before speaking loudly.

"Who agrees with my idea of using water?" She smiled at Tina when the girl raised her hand, Quinn shook her head.

"It's lame," She stated – trying to send a similar glare back at Rachel, like the one she had been on the receiving end of – Rachel didn't seem to notice and Quinn jutted her jaw side to side in frustration.

Rachel huffed with annoyance as she folded her arms. "Pick it up then!" She said and Quinn almost slapped the girl for thinking such a thing, she settled for ignoring her.

"That's gross." Santana stated and grimaced her distain.

"If one of us had a tissue, Santana, we –" Rachel started although Kurt cut her off with a tall scoff.

"We'd need a whole box of tissues," He stated confidently and placed his hand on his hip, "Go ahead though, and pick it up." He added and his eyes narrowed in a dare-like fashion.

Quinn nervously swallowed, Tina's eyes became saucers, Brittany looked confused, Puck watched with amusement and Santana looked to Rachel, the brunette was staring a hole through Kurt's head.

"When I said 'pick it up' I meant, Quinn. Not myself." She breathed and Quinn's eyebrows climbed her forehead.

"Excuse me?" She drawled and Rachel snapped her head to look at her, Quinn huffed. "I'm not touching that _thing _Berry. Throw someone else under the bus!"

"I didn't say you had too, Quinn." Rachel retaliated and Quinn shook her head.

"Um, like two seconds ago you just did!"

Rachel frowned in thought, "I was giving you the option to pick it up, it wasn't a command."

Quinn crossed her arms defensively, "I'm not touching it." She said with more dramatics then called for, Rachel nodded and Tina stepped forward.

"You don't have too," She stated, before looking to Rachel. "Should we try the water?"

Rachel licked her lips with determination, "At least someone knows a good idea when they hear one." She pointedly looked to Quinn, "I'll get a bucket."

"Hold up!" Santana snapped and Rachel froze mid step, the Latina tilted her head. "You're not going to throw a bucket of water at Britt's." She explained slowly and Rachel turned around.

"It's better than a rock." The brunette countered, Puck shook his head.

"Hardly."

"No rocks, no water!" Santana demanded and Kurt furrowed his eyebrows, he looked suddenly older.

"The water isn't going to hurt her or anything. I can't say the same for a rock. But worst case scenario Brittany gets wetter than what she already is."

Puck chuckled and it sent Quinn's mind to the gutter, she coughed dryly and Rachel eyed her suspiciously – however quickly glanced back to Kurt.

"Thank you, Kurt." She uttered, "You're support is welcomed."

Quinn rolled her eyes before groaning and Tina gave her a quick smile, Kurt shifted and folded his arms across his chest. "Okay," He hummed, "Go get the bucket, Rachel."

Rachel nodded once and turned around, stopping abruptly a second later before looking back at Brittany. "I should ask your permission first, is it okay if I throw water at you?"

Brittany nodded firmly in response and Quinn flailed backwards in fear when the insect stirred, "Oh. My. God!" Kurt yelped and the insect twitched again.

Quinn flinched a second time as she bumped Rachel who dramatically gasped and from beside her Tina shuffled backwards in trepidation.

The horrid and now very much _awake _bug jolted again, this time moving further into Brittany's wet hair and Quinn's heart jumped into her throat. She coughed out her fear.

The _thing _recoiled its legs, tucking them close to its body and Rachel drastically paled.

Puck flinched at the sight and Kurt jumped sideways, in what looked like a controlled frolic. Santana wheezed in air, however managed only a slight spasm of movement and Brittany in her confusion whipped her head to look at a stricken Kurt causing the insect to splay its legs out.

Friggin' black legs!

That was enough, it was too much to handle and accompanying her shrill yelps of panic Quinn pushed Rachel violently out of her way. Mashing her hands against the brunettes shoulder and side, the girl ended up losing her balance and Quinn fell with her. Her sneakers catching on the muddy grass.

She practically blanketed Rachel's body with her own and the brunette's groan hitched audibly in her throat as they collided with the ground, rushing over parted lips a second later and hitting Quinn's neck.

Not worrying about the fact she'd just fell on Rachel, Quinn scrambled to her feet. Digging her hands into the shorter girl's shoulders as she did – Rachel winced in pain – but Quinn's fear had overridden any sense of guilt she might have felt, and clumsily she took off across the dirt and grass.

"Quinn!" Rachel was yelling with annoyance a moment later, and Tina chimed in with.

"It moved, it moved, did you see it?"

Puck was agreeing and smirking like a child, while Kurt had dissipated into silent tears.

"I swallowed my heart, people! I swallowed my heart!" He sobbed seemingly without shame.

"Get it off, can you get it off?" Asked Brittany and when she shook her head again Santana shot backwards.

"Don't move, just don't move!" She was screaming, Puck had started laughing and Tina idly helped a fuming Rachel from the ground.

Quinn for her part kept running, hyperventilating pathetically and wheezing in air, Mercedes gave her an odd look when she passed her, with a questioning eyebrow raise to accompany it and Finn oafishly grinned dumbly.

She stopped once she felt the monster couldn't reach her and panted heavily, bending over she steadied herself with her hands on her knees. When she looked up Sam and Mike were staring at her with amusement, and from near her Blaine shifted.

"What's wrong, Quinn?" He asked lightly, she mashed her lips together and stood up straighter.

"I almost died, that's what's wrong." She realized how dramatic her words sounded the minute they were past her lips. However she ignored it and quickly nodded. "Don't go swimming, there's probably more!"

"More of what?" Sam inquired curiously and Quinn looked to him.

"That's the thing," She said in a loud whisper, "We don't know _what_ it was."

Eventually the _creature _was removed from Brittany's forehead by a laughing Mercedes and everyone calmed down, Kurt found comfort in retelling his fear to Blaine, while Brittany and Santana stayed clear of the water. Tina filled in Mike and Sam, and for the rest of the day Rachel glared at Quinn for pushing her over.

Suffice to say, Quinn never went back to the lake again.

She also found out that she had arachnophobia. Spiders _weren't_ her friend. That was all there was to it.

Rachel had tried to tell her – after she got over the pushing incident – that the spider was more afraid of her then she was of it, _huh, yeah right_. Quinn had said otherwise and Rachel just grinned and nodded, before handing Quinn a mini can of bug spray.

"_In case an arachnid crawls on your face or someone else's."_

She had explained. Quinn just grinned dumbly and took the offered canister.

_Fin_


End file.
